A method that provides a virtual presentation includes receiving a user ID on a computer, creating a user account, registering first and second real-world products on the computer responsive to receiving first and second registration codes, and linking the first and second products with the user account. Responsive to the registering, first and second virtual representations of the respective real-world products are simultaneously displayed together in a virtual room. A control interface allows a user provided access via the user ID to select one of the first and second virtual representations for control. Subsequent access to said user account provides access to both first and second virtual representations without subsequent re-entry of either the first or second registration code.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for providing a virtual world presentation comprising the computer-implemented steps of: receiving a user ID on a computer; creating a user account on the computer based on the user ID received; subsequent to said creating, accessing said user account by receiving said user ID; first registering a first real-world product on the computer responsive to receiving a first registration code; linking the first real-world product with said user account on the computer; responsive to said first registering the first real-world product, displaying a first virtual representation of the first real-world product on a display, said first virtual representation of the first real-world product being linked to said user account, such that subsequent access to said user account provides access to said first virtual representation of the first real-world product based on said receiving said user ID, without receiving said first registration code again; subsequent to said registering the first real-world product, second registering a second real-world product on said computer responsive to receiving a second registration code different than the first registration code; linking the second real-world product with said user account on the computer; responsive to said second registering the second real-world product, displaying a second virtual representation of the second real-world product on said display, said second virtual representation of the second real-world product being different than said first virtual representation, such that subsequent access to said user account by receiving said user ID after said first registering and said second registering simultaneously provides access to both said first virtual representation of the first real-world product and said second virtual representation of the second real-world product based on receiving said user ID and without any additional receiving of either said first registration code and/or said second registration code; subsequent to said first registering the first real-world product and the second real-world product, simultaneously displaying the first virtual representation of the first real-world product in a virtual room on the display together with said second virtual representation of the second real-world product; and during said simultaneously displaying, providing a control interface for allowing a user provided access via said user ID to select one of said first virtual representation and said second virtual representation for control, wherein said control interface provides the user an option to switch control from the selected one of said first virtual representation and said second virtual representation to the other of said first virtual representation and said second virtual representation, wherein said user has control of the first virtual representation of the first real-world product, and also has control of the second virtual representation of the second real-world product both made accessible via said user ID such that subsequent access to said user account provides access to both said first virtual representation and said second virtual representation without subsequent re-entry of either said first registration code and/or said second registration code.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first or said second virtual representations have different temperaments, where the temperaments make the representations react differently on the computer, and where said temperaments are automatically set by entering said code, and automatically retrieved by said user ID.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of a plurality of well-being parameters are tracked separately for each of said first and second virtual representations.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said control of said virtual representations includes controlling an animation of said virtual representations.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first registration code is provided with the first real-world product when the first real-world product is obtained by the user.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said first registration code is provided in packaging of the first real-world product.
7. A method for providing a virtual world presentation comprising the computer-implemented steps of: receiving a user ID on a computer; creating a user account on the computer based on the user ID received, said user account being subsequently accessed by further receiving of said user ID on the computer; first registering a first real-world product on the computer using a first registration code; linking the first registration code to said user account; responsive to said first registering the first real-world product, displaying a first character that is a virtual representation of the first real-world product on a display, said first character being linked to said user account, such that subsequent access to said user account provides access to said first character without re-entry of said first registration code; subsequent to said first registering the first real-world product, second registering a second real-world product on said computer using a second registration code; responsive to said second registering the second real-world product, displaying a second character that is a virtual representation of the second real-world product on said display, said second character also being linked to said user account, such that subsequent access to said user account after said first registering and said second registering provides access to both said first character and said second character without re-entry of either said first registration code and/or said second registration code; linking the second registration code to said user account on the computer; providing a control interface for allowing a user, to obtain access via said user ID, to select either one of said first character or said second character for controlling an animation of the selected character, wherein said control interface provides the user an option to switch animation control from the selected one of said selected character into the unselected other of said first character and said second character; responsive to either said first registering the first real-world product or said second registering the second real-world product, generating specialized content including a specialized user area on said computer; linking said specialized content to said user account; and simultaneously displaying said first character and said second character together on the display in said user area and, responsive to said control interface, selectively causing said first character or said second character to interact with said specialized content in said user area, wherein subsequent access to said user account by entry of said user ID provides access to said first character, said second character, said specialized content and said user area, without re-entry of said first registration code or said second registration code.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said first character has a different temperament from said second character, where the temperaments cause the representations to react differently on the computer and where said temperaments are automatically set by entering said code, and automatically retrieved by said user ID.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein each of a plurality of well-being parameters are tracked separately for each of said first and second characters.
10. The method of claim 7 , wherein said specialized content includes a virtual room, and wherein said first character is linked to and displayed in said virtual room, and wherein said simultaneously displaying includes displaying said second character in said virtual room together with said first virtual representation.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein each of a plurality of well-being parameters are tracked separately for each of said characters and depend on the temperament of the associated character.
12. The method of claim 7 , wherein said first registration code is provided with the first real-world product when the first real-world product is obtained by the user.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said first registration code is provided in packaging of the first real-world product.
14. A method of displaying and interacting with virtual products, comprising computer-implemented steps of: registering a user on a computer, and controlling creation of a user account on the computer responsive to said registering the user; creating a user ID for said user account; registering a first real-world product on the computer and associating said first real-world product with said user account; during said registering the first real-world product, accepting a first set of inputs from a remote user that controls selection of information about said first real-world product that customizes a virtual representation of the first real-world product that will be displayed as a virtual product on a display, said controlling selection including at least first and second ways that the virtual product will be displayed on said display, and said first set of inputs includes a first name to be assigned to the first real-world product for identifying the first real-world product on the display; responsive to said registering the first real-world product, displaying the virtual representation of the first real-world product together with the first name on said display responsive to accessing said user account, said virtual representation having said information that was selected during said registering, and where a look of the virtual representation of the first real-world product the display is different for a first selection of information than for a second selection of information; registering a second real-world product on said computer; during said registering the second real-world product, accepting a second set of inputs from a remote user that controls selection of information about said second real-world product that customizes a virtual representation of the second real-world product that will be displayed as a virtual product on the display, said controlling selection including at least first and second ways that the virtual product will be displayed on said display, and said second set of inputs includes a second name to be assigned to the second real-world product for identifying the second real-world product on the display; responsive to said registering the second real-world product, granting access to a subset of additional content on said computer, and associating said subset of additional content with said user ID; further responsive to said registering the second real-world product, displaying the virtual representation of the second real-world product together with the second name on said display, said virtual representation of the second real-world product also being associated with said user ID, said virtual representation of the second real-world product also interacting with said subset of additional content, such that access to said user account using said user ID provides access to all of said subset of additional content, said virtual representation of the first real-world product, and said virtual representation of the second real-world product to allow said interacting; and moving said virtual representation of said first real-world product together with said virtual representation of said second real-world product into a virtual room on the display for interactive play, wherein said access with said user ID provides control of both said virtual representation of the first real-world product and said virtual representation of the second real-world product.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the virtual representations of the first and second real-world products are virtual pets.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first set of inputs further includes a gender assigned to the first real-world product, the method further comprising serving a biography of the first real-world product to the user responsive to said registering the first real-world product, said biography including said first name and said gender.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising displaying a user interface on a portion of a user display, said user interface including information about each of said first and second real-world products.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein said user interface includes information for each of said first and second real-world products, said information includes at least said biography.
19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising the step of, during said registering, accepting input from a remote user that controls selection of a gender of said first real-world product.
20. The method of claim 14 , further comprising the step of providing a control interface for allowing a user, provided access via said user ID, to select one of said virtual representation of the first real-world product or said virtual representation of the second real-world product for controlling the selected virtual representation, wherein said control interface provides the user an option to switch control from the selected virtual representation to the unselected virtual representation.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
March 5, 2018
May 19, 2020
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